I'm a newcomer to Nikon, but not new to manual focus lenses. On Contax and NEX and Ricoh GXR I've been using a variety of lenses but to date have had very little experience with Nikon optics so I've got something of a learning curve to go through and some fun no doubt. I'm reading through this very long (congrats!) thread with great interest.

On full frame film rangefinder cameras I shoot 25mm, 35mm (mostly), and a fast 50/1.5 and 75/2.5 for portraits. On crop cameras I've been shooting 25mm(mostly - 35mm equivalent) and 50/1.5 (75mm equivalent) but have also have 18mm(28mm) and 35mm(50mm). All manual focus.

I've recently bought a full frame Nikon digital body partly to get back the full frame perspective, partly to gain access to some ultra wides, and, egads, to also gain autofocus for a couple of focal lengths for use when I need AF. I tend to prefer primes, and until recently, didn't own any AF lenses at all.

At the moment I'm am looking for an everyday go-to lens in my favourite focal length - 35mm (manual focus, perhaps ultimately both MF and AF) as well 24mm or 28mm lenses.

I use 35mm for everything from documenting life up close to medium distances and occasionally out to infinity for landscapes and city scapes, but mostly subjects a few feet away to fifty feet. Wider gets more use for big views and out to infinity but also close in.

As I use 35mm the most, I'm keen for suggestions from folks here and am already trolling the thread for examples.

For a slightly wider view I'm wondering, ignoring focus method, how the 24/2.8 AiS and 24/2.8 AF-D, and 28/2.8 AiS compare strictly on an optical basis?

Best of the season to one and all,
Mike

Mike, you've come to the right place. Someone will be around soon you can answer your question.

MarkdV wrote:
Wow, some great images on the past few pages. Like Peter I will catch up on them when the madhouse settles down.
Here's one from the 28mm f2.8 series E of someone's new shirt
Great shirt, Mark!

For a slightly wider view I'm wondering, ignoring focus method, how the 24/2.8 AiS and 24/2.8 AF-D, and 28/2.8 AiS compare strictly on an optical basis?

Best of the season to one and all,
Mike

My answer is based mostly on what I've read about these respective lenses, though I own the 28 f/2.8 ais and briefly owned the 24 f/2.8 af-d.

The 28 f/2.8 ais is a step up from either of the other two. It is generally considered one of the better lenses Nikon ever made. The two 24s are, if I'm not mistaken, almost identical optically and while good, neither is great. I was mostly unimpressed with the 24mm when I owned it.